How We Protect Our Chickens from Hawks (And Other Aerial Predators)

[@kummerhomestead]

Check out the description for a link to the predator net we use to protect our chickens from hawks.

[@matthewchaffin2123]

What's the link to the netting?

[@ericagardens1234]

rosey might identify as a female. did you ask they them before you changed her name? 😂

[@MichaelKummer]

​@@ericagardens1234 Rosie turned into a bad-ass rooster and there is no doubt what he identifies as :)

[@ericagardens1234]

what about when a storm comes. soes the netting get ruined

[@MichaelKummer]

@@ericagardens1234 Nope since the wind blows right through it. But you might have to clean off fallen branches after a storm.

[@sherylbertermann9987]

This is by far the best video that I have seen on hawk netting. Your tip on hanging rope around first is what I’ve been searching for. Thank you for a very good video!

[@kummerhomestead]

Thanks, much appreciated! 🙏🏻

[@Hannelore7]

Going to try this..Have a hawk eyeing my kitty..backyard safe from wildlife except arial birds.

[@mariebee3146]

Don't be fooled by the size of your chickens. My very large girl was killed by a huge hawk. The kid who witnessed it said the hawk swooped down over her and took her down. The hawk bit into her neck. She was still alive when we ran out, but the damage was too severe. Broke my heart.

[@kummerhomestead]

Agreed...hawks don't care much about the size of the hen.

[@deenaduckett4774]

Hi guys, I’m in Woodstock Ga and have had Hawk netting up for almost 10 yrs. Since the constant prob with destroying land to make tree less neighborhoods our hawks have nowhere to go anymore. Things were ok until one day we saw a “true” chicken hawk. Diff from the everyday hawk you normally see here and the ones you had on your videos. They are so much meaner and won’t stop. We had a ton of trees go down in our acre backyard last year in a storm and it took down the netting but building my coop and extra large enclosed covered run held up like a tank. I kept Them in the run until all The trees were cleared since hawks were all over the place waiting on them. I got a new net up and the chicken hawk went in under the net and just destroyed one of our full grown 5 lb chicken. I was heart broken since I normally bring the net down and enclose it to the fence post. It’s been a year and the hawks keep looking for ways to get in. I saw one slicing the nylon netting to make a hole. I closed the chickens up and watched it watching me and then it sat in the trees and would drop drown from the limbs on the ground. Then fly back up the hole when I ran out. Very smart birds. I feel once they have made an attack they keep coming back and we have lots of squirrels and lots of chipmunks. They won’t just swoop in. The will sit and watch and drop in and kill. They can’t fly off with a heavy chicken but they will kill it as quick as possible for any bites at all to eat. If you see a chicken hawk (you can look it up) be really aware. I check my netting for holes constantly and use zip ties to close them up. I blame humans for this. They strip away land to keep building and won’t stop until every inch of tree area is gone. We all have deer having babies in our back yards now from it. If only they were made to re-home the animals misplaced this would prob slow down destruction of the place wildlife considered home. Lived her 58 yrs and still walk families of deer towards the only wooded area on the side of lost mountain. (Now renamed by even new neighbors as antenna mountain for now 12 huge satellite dishes on top) thks for the video and I’m a huge believer in hawk netting

[@kummerhomestead]

Thanks for the feedback Deena! I agree that a hungry predator will find a way in, regardless of what you try. We still have the netting around the coop but allow our chickens to roam in other areas of our backyard. While that increases the chances of some of them getting killed, we feel like the rewards outweigh the risks.

[@ac7fd]

We have the same problem. We’re one of the last bigger lots with lots of trees and 2 acres pasture in the area. Everything around became subdivision and now we have multiple hawks having their babies in our trees. They take care of squirrels and mice bug also enjoy our ducklings for breakfast lunch and dinner. One made it into the completely fenced and netted chicken run, went into a small chicken door, went upstairs and through another small door into the coop. I didn’t believe my kids when they came running. I locked it in as all the chicken except a broody hen were out, got it with a fishing net and released it on the pasture. I found the netting cut close to the fence. Now I wonder. Is this hawk netting better than the regular bird netting sold on Amazon? I want to add a third flock and currently install all the 8‘ fencing for another bigger chicken run. I wonder if it is worth buying the expensive hawk netting or just stick with the cheaper nylon bird netting from Amazon.

[@kummerhomestead]

The hawk netting is definitely less likely to rip or tear but it has wider openings for smaller hawks to (potentially) get through. The bird netting is less expensive and easier to install but rips easier. So there are tradeoffs with both options.

[@ac7fd]

Thank you

[@mombear5116]

I used twine and tied it in the same criss-cross pattern as described here. It did not last to the next season. But then my grain store gave me thicker and coated twine (used for packing) that has held up well this year.

[@kummerhomestead]

Right on!

[@SLC259]

Next time try 25-50lb fishing line! Worked for us for about 2 full seasons before having to replace

[@meanqkie2240]

Well edited video. Thanks for showing the product packaging too. Beautiful home.

[@heribertocandelaria2140]

Hello, im in north ga, closer to Helen ga. I have 2 acres and my 15 chickens free range as well. Good video. Ive been blessed that theres a family of about 15 crows that live up in the trees a few feet away from my coop so i feed them twice a day and for the last 4 months i havent seen one hawk in the area. Before that it was weekly sighting of them. GOD bless you and the chicks.

[@kummerhomestead]

That is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@cindyhesse5196]

What are you feeding the crows?

[@libbygerner4428]

Thanks, I found your video to be informative and clear. I've just lost my tenth hen to either a goshawk or a brown falcon here in Australia, and I'm tired of finding carcasses. This bird picks off my smaller breeds and I'm now having to rethink my whole chookyard game plan. I love them free ranging, but think at least for the moment, I'm going to have to keep them locked in.

[@kummerhomestead]

Yeah, I know that sucks! We just had a hawk swoop by 30 minutes ago :)

[@zoemarialawson8943]

get the BIGGEST chickens that you can & dont freerange them unless u are in yard or can do netting. A hawk killed my small silkie white roo. Ive heard get black chickens too that helps.

[@liad4482]

I had a big Rhode Island red that got snatched by a Cooper's Hawk about three feet away from me, while I was having a huge bon fire. He flew up with her, she was fighting, screaming and squirming a lot. She got loose from his talons and fell to the ground from well over a hundred feet. I saw that her wing was still in his talons as he flew off. I couldn't find her where I thought she had landed. I was heartbroken and so mad at myself. Hours later, as I was putting the fire out, she came out of the sticks right to me. She was really scared and kept looking up to the sky. When I picked her up, I thought her ripped wing wound would be awful. To my surprise, it was a clean, round, little bloody dot. About the size of a pin head. All I really could do was clean it and put Neosporin on it. She lived very well with only one wing for another eight years. Now I keep black Australorp hens in the mix. They supposedly trick the hawks into thinking they are crows. I am not sure if that is true, but I see hawks on branches nearby looking in at the chicken yard, they just fly away. Now all I have left to contend with are Bobcats and neighbors' dogs.

[@kummerhomestead]

Wow…what a story! The black chickens don’t work btw. We have a few and hawks don’t seem to care about their color :) The flying puppet dancer has been working well for us tho.

[@sandybush597]

Great video and glad you mentioned fishing line, I now will not be using it thank you very good information

[@MichaelKummer]

You're most welcome Sandy!

[@shanea-sr7942]

Just build a super large run covered by chicken wire or hardware cloth they will still be free ranging.

[@kummerhomestead]

Right on!

[@barbarabeard6017]

What an absolutely fantastic idea! I've seen others hang huge netting but I don't have help to do that and they were in a mess with even more than one person. Don't have as many trees as you do but I have enough I think. Excellent idea to do the ropes first. I had already ordered several white netting that's a smaller size to hang between trees on the ground but never thought of hanging them in the air. Was going to hang tarps and dreading the chore. This should work for the Predators we have here. Going to zip tie nets to ropes. We'll just have to see if it works but wanted to thank you very much for the great idea! Saw comment below about chicken hawk but I have three to four different types of fencing and netting on ground level. That's what finally kept the rabbits out eating sapling trees when I first bought the property. I will just extend the netting higher in the trees. Don't really have that big a problem where I live.

[@Emerii1]

How is the net holding up? I keep buying nylon ones on amazon but every winter the (light) snow we get in texas tears it every time. It's getting too expensive. Hawk Stopper netting is twice the price so I wonder if it is stronger?

[@kummerhomestead]

The net was holding up really and never tore. We removed it anyway for all the reasons mentioned in kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHXLqaWnq9F6oJo

[@Fiona2254]

We had two casualties. We tied up some plastic ribbon around the hen and chick house but it looks terrible like a cheap fair. Thanks for the idea of the hawk stopper. We can set up the net so we can take it down amd redeploy as we move the house.

[@kummerhomestead]

Sorry for your losses! Hopefully, the netting will prevent any casualties in the future. We actually took our net down and, so far, the rooster has been keeping all the girls safe :)

[@Fiona2254]

@@kummerhomestead we have a couple of young roosters growing and we also have some guinea hens that are about to get free roam privileges after training them to the electric perimeter and sleeping in the hen house every night but we have some very open areas where the house will be rolled trough. Setting the net to have a safe eat and drink area will be the last piece of the puzzle.

[@Shah-cd7fp]

I have a few native chickens (about hundreds) & free range.. Hawks are among the predators here.. what i do is put a few small mirrors (facing to the sky).. because in my place, sunlight is so bright that it will reflect the mirrors.. we know that hawk eyes are so sensitive & hawk do hunting in day not in the night.. it seems working for me.. or if you have a lot of old CD / VCD, you better use it

[@truthandlove0]

Thank you for sharing this, I was on the same journey as you, and this was very helpful for ideas.

[@kummerhomestead]

Glad it was helpful!

[@truthandlove0]

@@kummerhomestead I have since then installed netting all over my yard. Branches have fallen on parts of it and have slightly torn it but honestly the peace of mind I have is wonderful 👍

[@soaronwingslikeeagles7982]

Excellent idea. Thanks so much. Great video. Very helpful. Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦

[@kummerhomestead]

Thanks for watching!

[@jadeeyes20031]

I use crochet yawn and basically create a spider web above my run so far no air predators. Also have a scar crow

[@kummerhomestead]

Seems like a good idea!

[@BigBlock1717]

Great video and implementation of idea. Thank You!!

[@kummerhomestead]

You're most welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@taniamorrison369]

Thank you for your very informative video.

[@kummerhomestead]

You got it!

[@alvinstockbridge2589]

Sorry , I got totally distracted . What’s this video about ?

[@kummerhomestead]

Distracted by what? :)

[@bimfred]

Hi - doesn't this prevent songbirds from using your garden also?

[@kummerhomestead]

Nope, there are plenty of openings for them to get in and out. On a side note, we since removed the netting and now rely on a combo of roosters and geese to protect our chickens.

[@petereckerwall9423]

I dont know about their good eyes, we watched (on surveilence cameras) a hawk dive right into our black net protecting our chickens, it struggled for some time to come loose, then it were sitting on one of the loggs holding the net up, locking almost like it was embaressed about what just happend.. Finaly it flew away when my scary wife came arround the corner.. 🤔❤️🇸🇪

[@kummerhomestead]

Yeah, I agree...since recording this video, we've had several close calls where hawks would almost hit the net because they didn't see it until it was right in front of them.

[@veronicatilghman2515]

Thank you this I the most informative video I found!

[@kummerhomestead]

You are so welcome!

[@faithsfarmlife1424]

New subscriber here I used that for my garden. I think I will use it around the coop area

[@kummerhomestead]

Thanks for the sub!

[@marycavanaugh3930]

What happens in autumn when the leaves fall over the netting?

[@kummerhomestead]

The hawk netting allows leaves to fall through; they only get stuck on top of the bird netting we also use here. However, branches often get stuck on top of the netting and we have to remove them manually from time to time. That's not ideal but something we decided to live with.

[@zoemarialawson8943]

Great video . A hawk killed my white bantam silkie rooster 4 weeks ago. Sad day. So now i have to walk with my chickens when they are out. I wish my entire 2 acres was netted.

[@kummerhomestead]

Sorry to hear about your loss! We decided to simply add more chickens and roosters (all of the same color and breed) instead of worrying whether or not the entire property is covered in netting :)

[@mariebee3146]

They will still attack right in front of you. One afternoon my boyfriend and I were in the yard chatting with the chickens walking at our feet. All of a sudden a hawk swooped down literally right in front of us. Luckily all the ladies scattered under the bushes. It all happened so fast. I couldn't believe it.

[@zoemarialawson8943]

@@mariebee3146 thats so crazy! Last night I dreamed that about a dozen eagles were trying to get my babies! My flock. I keep a baseball bat near coop and if anything tries to get my birds bam! I pray I'm able to save them! I hear and see hawks calling to each other everyday. Ive heard when we hear them isn't as dangerous its when we don't.

[@zoemarialawson8943]

@@kummerhomestead well guess thats a god idea. As right now all mine are different kinds and colors and each has its own personalities. Cool names and I love them so much. And mine are pets not big meat birds.

[@tinadesroche8159]

I’m hoping this works for eagles. I just lost 2 hens to a nesting pair of eagles that have a nest just down the hill from us.🤞

[@kummerhomestead]

It should but just when you think you have one predator figured out, another one comes along. In our case it was a raccoon that ended up on our dinner plate after he killed a hen :)

[@TexasIndiafarm]

The leaves will collect in coming months and will rip apart. Have you tried adding black chickens.

[@kummerhomestead]

Yeah, we clear off the leaves once a year or so. Not a big deal. We don't have black chickens.

[@judyhowell7075]

Black chickens doesn’t work, have 4

[@frankrizzo5659]

Can't a hawk still get through them square holes...you see videos where the jerk broke through small chicken wire...I'm paranoid i have a 6 week old baby duck...let him out of his coop to free range in his enclosed pen....went in house for 5 whole minutes to make something to eat came back outside a hawk was in his pen on top of a bird then he took off with the bird...my heart dropped i thought he had my baby...now I'm afraid to even leave him alone in his chicken coop ...if it works I'll do it

[@kummerhomestead]

If the hawk is small and determined enough, he'll likely get through. We haven't had that happen yet but heard from others that it's possible.

[@frankrizzo5659]

@@kummerhomestead thank you for replying

[@lieutenant.dan1]

We bought 2 nets thru Amazon. They were 50 x100 each. For 85.00

[@kummerhomestead]

Right on!

[@ABFSkateShop]

I have had the same net for about a year. I witnessed a sharp shinned hawk fly in thru it and fly out through it yesterday. Luckily he did not succeed in killing one of my remaining 2 chickens (RIP Camilla and Charlotte). It has been a successful deterrent, yes, but not 100%, as the gentleman indicated.

[@MichaelKummer]

Thanks for sharing your feedback! It’s been a while that I recorded the video but I’m pretty certain that I said there is NO 100% protection unless you lock in your chickens.

[@ABFSkateShop]

@@MichaelKummer Yes, sorry if i wasn't clear. I was agreeing with you that the net is a good deterrent, and I was also agreeing with you when you said that it's not perfect. I wanted to share my experience with your audience to bolster your argument that the smaller sharp shinned hawks can and do squeeze thru. It happened at about 4pm yesterday, while I was outside watching my dog, the sharp shinned hawk had the audacity to make an attack right in front of me! (similar to how you shared that the hawk attacked when your wife was outside). I had previously lost one chicken to a hawk about this time last year (RIP Clementine), and that's when I installed this netting in response. But then a couple of months ago I witnessed a Coopers Hawk attacking through the open sides, so I strung rope diagnostically up and down from my fence to the netting, crisscrossing over itself to try and create a tight mesh to cut down on side attacks. Maybe it's helped, but again, not enough with what I saw yesterday. And now the most recent predator to cause me to lose sleep is a RED TAIL FOX! Had one kill poor Charlotte (RIP) a couple of weeks ago. The fox dug under the backyard fence and attacked in the early morning. We ran out as soon as we heard them alarm calling but we were too late, the fox had already broken her neck. I've now reinforced the fence, obsessively personally guard them, have a game camera and a Havahart brand "Critter Ridder" which is basically a motion sensor activated sprinkler that has so far once successfully sprayed and scared the fox away. I have it on video, actually took place at 10:30pm Christmas eve. BTW, I live in heavily suburban Point Pleasant, NJ, not out in the woods or something! Anyway, all this is to say that these predators are starting to break my spirit. I want desperately to protect these chickens and provide them with an enjoyable life pecking around my backyard, but I fear I'm going to have to relent and start restricting them more and more to their small 8'x4' run. I have the utmost respect for farmers now!

[@MichaelKummer]

@@ABFSkateShop We recently lost our favorite chicken to a hawk. The attack happened outside the covered area (because we want to let our chickens roam the entire backyard). While it's sad when you lose a pet (we all cried 😄), it's the circle of life. Ultimately, we got chickens to provide us with eggs and loss is a part of that (we knew that but chose to ignore that fact for a while). So we'll just add more chickens to the flock (preferably of the same breed) and stop naming them. It's much easier to lose "one of the white chickens" than losing Manchita (that's how our hen was called). I know that strategy might not work for everybody, and I appreciate that, but it works for us. PS: That doesn't mean we'll be careless. Afterall, raising chickens costs time, energy and money...

[@TINA-pf2bb]

Unfortunately, a hawk chased my Barred Rock chicken and her siblings in the run, where they ran for cover and killed her. she was a very large 7-month-old hen. The two Australorp rooster and my other chickens were able to get inside their coop. So much for the roosters protecting my chickens. Kenny Rogers and Alex (my two roosters) rather attack humans.

[@triciaskiles]

@@ABFSkateShop is your netting still holding up well? Have you had to replace it yet? Wondering how long the netting lasts before it begins to fall apart and deteriorate.

[@Lovelybrewer911]

I’m new to owning chickens and have only had my small flock of silkies and different small bread chickens for a little over a year and I just had my first attack and I couldn’t stop crying for my babies. I’m not entirely sure what attacked them, everything I look up doesn’t match what they looked like. Two of my small chickens (fully grown) were killed and it was a rather weird sight . There was a couple feathers but not much just around the back door and they were left only a couple feet apart from each other in the yard with a hole in their body like something had used a dam straw and there wasn’t much blood. The slightly bigger girls neck looked broken where the other one looked fine. I’m in st. Pete florida and if anyone has any ideas as too what it could be I would be so grateful. I’m looking up so many different ways to protect my girls now and I have two 2month old ducks so I really want to make sure they are safe. I don’t know if it’s overkill but I want to put a scarecrow and fake owls and just move them around daily lol but I just need some help. My heart was broken this morning .

[@kummerhomestead]

Hey Daisy, I'm sorry about your loss. We were upset after our first hen was killed. The best protection is a physical barrier between your hens and predators. The hawk netting worked really well for us, but we're in the process of removing it. Why? Because we accepted that predator attacks are part of how nature works. So we add more chickens every year and let them roam free. In your case, consider a guard goose like another viewer recommended. They're pretty effective if a physical barrier (netting, coop...) isn't feasible.

[@kummerhomestead]

@@living2day617 It sounds like you need electric fencing, a livestock guardian dog or both :)

[@lakota123max]

mink....they are evil....

[@Rexach1]

Thank you for the tips

[@MichaelKummer]

You're most welcome!

[@jamescline8055]

Hawks will just go under your netting. They just walk right through the 5"x7" net opening if you had the sides covered as well. Crows, and black chickens, guard goose,roosters, and dogs. Guinea's are great for alarms. But are not 100 percent as well. Expect to lose chickens if you free range them.

[@kummerhomestead]

So far, no hawk has made it through the net...

[@janp2320]

Very informative thanks so much

[@kummerhomestead]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Tigress-fh9ko]

I had a 2000 yard grid , owls, scarecrows, shiney things …still 3 murders this season. Hawks where we are would fly under that netting

[@kummerhomestead]

For a while we enclosed the entire area in netting to prevent hawks from coming in under the net. But since we have implemented rotational "grazing" we just let them be. So far the rooster has been doing his job :)

[@737smartin]

KH made a follow-up video (I think a bit over two years after this one). He abandoned the netting effort, but shared some helpful tips if you should want to try it yourself. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHXLqaWnq9F6oJosi=mJmlPyCEoOOkw7Jl

[@737smartin]

Oh… jump to 6:30 in the update video to get to the netting comments.

[@sophieashley3869]

have you had any trouble with wild birds getting caught in your netting?

[@kummerhomestead]

Nope, so far no birds have gotten stuck in the netting.

[@mikeburke1348]

Make a very thin, metal, overhead, electrical fence.

[@kummerhomestead]

Yeah...not sure I want to jump through those hoops :)

[@salfromtexas7097]

Rope is a key to the netting , thanks!!!

[@kummerhomestead]

It sure is! 👊🏻

[@barbrafrench7386]

Hi- Im just starting a chicken pen project that will have bird netting on top. How has this worked out for you and how long before you have to replace your neting? Thanks for the videos 😊

[@MichaelKummer]

Hey Barbra! We've had great success with bird netting and I think it's even easier to put up than the hawk netting we show in the video. In fact, we've added a bunch more bird netting to give our girls (and the rooster) more room to forage. So far, we haven't had to replace anything! Good luck with your project!

[@triciaskiles]

@@MichaelKummer how is the netting holding up now? How do you deal with all the leaves that fall & catch on the netting?

[@kummerhomestead]

@@triciaskiles The hawk netting is holding up well, but we have to remove leaves and branches from the bird netting we use as well. It's not a big deal.

[@boboscurse4130]

So sick of our beautiful chickens getting killed. The netting you recommend has 22% 1-star reviews.

[@kummerhomestead]

Circle of life :) Despite the bad reviews, our netting has been working pretty well and we're heading into the third season with it.

[@MrToryin]

Sprichst du deutsch?

[@kummerhomestead]

Yep, die Kids und ich (Michael) sprechen Deutsch :)

[@lisagayhart2482]

I feed the wild birds. And lots of cover . Bushes, picnic tables, rose bushes, large flowering plants. And I like flighty birds. That are smart enough to hide

[@kummerhomestead]

Agreed! Our Brown Leghorns are a pain in the butt to catch but none has gotten killed by a hawk so far :)

[@vasekcz]

We had nets, the buzzard made a hole in it and killed. I feel like it's been planned for a while

[@kummerhomestead]

What type of netting did you use? The nylon netting we use is almost impossible to tear up.

[@mariebee3146]

​@@kummerhomestead is that the hawk netting that's made of nylon? I was reading reviews on Amazon and a lot of people said that netting ripped very easily.

[@kummerhomestead]

@@mariebee3146 Yeah, it's nylon. All I can say is that it has held up pretty well for us.

[@mikeburke1348]

Rosie is also a male name. Rosie Greer. Famous.

[@kummerhomestead]

Yeah, Rosey...short for Roosevelt. I didn't know that.

[@DonovanAP]

Great video but hawks don't care much about size, smaller usually means easier prey. We have large breed birds and very large ducks and the hawks kill them all. I have even seen one attack one of my Pilgrim geese. If they become too big of a problem, you can apply for a permit (with stipulations) to take them out. All my birds are registered endangered species so this maybe a short term fix until we can figure something out.

[@MiaMarie420]

The rooster is NO chance against a hawk

[@kummerhomestead]

I assume you never raised chickens. If you did, you'd know better.

[@clockworkNate]

I have my chickens in a fenced in pen where I live. I was replacing their food one day and the door blew open, I noticed and one of the hens slipped through, I immediately went out after her, the moment I stepped out of the door I saw a hawk mid swoop like 5 feet above the hen, it suddenly stop, looked a me and then flew back up. That hen was soooo freaking lucky.

[@Mai-fn5ml]

He said we took her to the vet his wife

[@shimmermist]

Rosy is Rosen now 😂

[@CS-pi5oc]

I lvd in Missouri. Nvr saw a hawk and our chickens were nvr bothered. They went into their house at night. Here in MA, I’ve seen a hawk. It was eyeballing a mixed bird. It looked like a seagull with goose feathers scattered abt. However, it was probably a duck goose combo. I’ve seen a swan goose as well.

[@williambuchanan6530]

Guardian goose

[@kummerhomestead]

Yeah, we've been considering adding a goose too!

[@sharkeishatwerks1731]

He's hot

[@snoodlegirl1794]

Get rooster choker

[@kummerhomestead]

Why on earth would we do that?

[@patriciawhite6429]

get black chickens that is what I am going to do. along with netting.

[@kummerhomestead]

We usually select chickens based on other traits than feather color :)

[@tattooguyno1]

Great idea ….but….when you get a Hawk tangled up in that net ..you just got prison time ….not joking ..very protected bird …..

[@kummerhomestead]

While it’s unlawful to hunt or intentionally kill hawks, if a hawk gets tangled in your property, it’s not your fault and I seriously doubt you’d get charged (assuming someone sees and reports you). It’s not like you were setting a trap for hawks to get tangled and die.

[@raybutler2625]

So all that rambling to say put a net up. All you had to do was add some Black Australorps to your flock, hawks won't come around. Hawks are thick here but stay away from my flock. But OWLS are the main threat here. For them you'll need netting or LOTS of line tied up to keep them from flying in & out. Next time don't talk so much, you lose your audience fast. People want instant information, not ramblings about all the things that DON'T work.

[@MichaelKummer]

Thanks for the feedback, but I disagree. Knowing what doesn’t work is sometimes more valuable than knowing what works. Plus, just because something has worked (or hasn’t) for us, doesn’t mean it’ll be the same for you. I prefer knowing my options before deciding what I’ll give a shot.

[@mrbrown6421]

Hope you're right about Black Australorps. They are our first hens and absolutely wonderful birds. Eggs: check Quiet: check Easy going: check Polite: check Funny: check I'm absolutely stunned by how smart they are. My cat is dumber than a rock compared to these hens. I do NOT recommend the netting he used. Try 1" Heavy Duty Knotted Netting: 1" 25' X 50' Part #PC-534 Strombergschickens Currently $140, UV resistant, excellent material.

[@watchmanonthewall3852]

I disagree. I have a mixed flock with lots of black chickens and if the family of crows isn't scouting the area, and those smaller sharp shinned hawks are, your chickens are in real danger. I ran to help my Americana being attacked by one of those and when I reached her, he had already ripped out her eyes and her top beak. He flew up in the tree waiting to finish her off. She was still breathing but her injuries were horrible and I had to end her suffering. My rooster, who was always by her side ran in the barn with the other girls. My motto has always been "live and let live". My motto for that savage killer is "locked and loaded"

[@raybutler2625]

@@watchmanonthewall3852 Hawks don't bother Black Australorp, but they will your others. Hawks are THICK here & my hens free range daily & never lost one.

[@lpmoron6258]

@@watchmanonthewall3852 mine is about half black. So far those have survived. 6 in 2 weeks not so lucky.